Former NDF chairman Luis Jalandoni, 90

MANILA, Philippines — Luis Jalandoni, former chairman of the National Democratic Front (NDF) of the Philippines, died in Utrecht, the Netherlands on Saturday. He was 90 years old.

His death was confirmed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Known as “Ka Louie” to comrades, family and friends, Jalandoni passed away peacefully at around 9:05 a.m. in Utrecht (3:05 p.m. in the Philippines), the party said.

“In his final moments, Ka Louie was surrounded by comrades, his wife Ka Coni, and his family,” it added.

A close associate of the late communist leader Jose Maria Sison, Jalandoni served as NDF’s chief negotiator with the Philippine government from 1989 to 2016.

Born in Negros on Feb. 26, 1935, Jalandoni was a former Catholic priest who played a key role in the founding of the Christians for National Liberation, one of the founding allied organizations of the NDF.

He joined the CPP and went underground when the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law. In 1973, he was arrested with Coni Ledesma, who later became his wife, and was detained for about a year.

Jalandoni left the country in 1976 to lead international relations work for the CPP. He and his wife later sought and were granted political asylum in the Netherlands, where they formed close ties with Sison.

Jalandoni was designated as international representative of the NDF in 1977.

“As the NDFP’s chief international representative, Ka Louie undertook proto-diplomatic work and established relations with foreign governments, international agencies, solidarity groups and revolutionary movements and parties across the globe. He helped amplify the voice of the Filipino people by articulating the revolutionary movement’s just cause,” the CPP said.

As the NDF’s chief government negotiator, the CPP said Jalandoni “firmly stood as a pillar of integrity and revolutionary resolve, always placing the Filipino masses at the center of the process.”

Multisectoral group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Jalandoni’s passing was a great loss for the national democratic movement, and for Filipinos who are yearning for “national and social liberation.”

“His lifelong commitment to fundamental revolutionary change in the Philippines and in the world serves as an inspiration to all who believe that, indeed, a better world is possible and that the oppressed and exploited masses are the true movers of history,” Bayan said.

“We extend our deepest sympathy to Ka Coni Ledesma, their son Jose Edmundo ‘Pendong’ Jalandoni and other family members during this very difficult period. We find comfort in the fact that Ka Louie lived a full life in the service of the world’s peoples and proletariat, and that his legacy lives on in the next generations of freedom fighters for national liberation, democracy and a socialist future,” the group said.

The CPP conferred its “highest honors” on Jalandoni, saying his contributions to building and strengthening the party “are indelible.”

“We will forever cherish the immense contributions he made in advancing the people’s struggle for national and social liberation. As we mourn his passing, we firmly vow to carry forward his legacy of selfless service, boundless humility, revolutionary integrity and commitment to waging the people’s democratic revolution until final victory is won,” it added. — Rainier Allan Ronda, Mark Ernest Villeza